New Delhi: City-based think tank Centre for
Science and Environment (CSE) has welcomed the Punjab
government decision to ban the sale of 20 pesticides and urged
the Centre to follow suit.
The Punjab Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
had yesterday banned the sale of 20 pesticides that are
harmful to humans and environment with immediate effect.
"If a state like Punjab, which is a high pesticide user,
acts in the interest of public health, it is incumbent on the
central government to take necessary steps to eliminate sale
of highly toxic pesticides in the entire country," said
Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General of the CSE.
The pesticides banned in Punjab have been categorized by
WHO as "extremely hazardous" and "highly hazardous" and many
of them are banned in several countries, he said.
PTI
